Smokers Mugged With The Blessing Of The Police *UPDATED*

Gutsy students from Medway have been snatching shoppers’ cigarettes, in an effort to persuade them to kick the habit.
The sixth formers from The Hundred of Hoo Comprehensive School are taking direct action against smokers on high streets around the area, to produce material for a short anti-smoking film.
They hope their finished movie will help persuade other young people to stub out their fags.

“The final idea was to go out and literally ambush smokers and take their cigarettes off them. The adverts don’t work, so we are going to make you stop smoking.”

In the first of their shoots on Chatham High Street, the teenagers swarmed around smokers en masse, yelling “Ciggy Busters” at them.

“I was scared about doing something so crazy on the street - I mean you can get arrested.

Or punched in the face, you prat

Organisers said that far from encountering hacked-off nicotine addicts, the response they received was warm. The victims, they said, were willing participants.

Here are some of the warm and fuzzy reactions from the shoppers:

One shopper, Dan, a smoker, said: "If it happened to me I would probably slap them.

Keith Youngson was clear about how he would have reacted if he was a Ciggy Buster victim.

"I would have been in the nick," said the retired contracts manager.

Kent police in Medway were made aware of the planned filming, prior to the event taking place.

So what do we have? A buch of school kids assaulting smokers and robbing their cigarettes with the blessing of the local police.

Big Brother Watch are also slightly miffed about this.

Is this the future for smokers? State sanctioned thuggery. How long will it be before they are attacking people in McDonalds or down the local boozer.
This kind of thing has to be stopped. This far, no further. I appeal to anyone who sees this or similar going on when you are out and about, to react with similar violence. Grab hold of the bastards, get the stolen property back and detain them until the police arrive.
This cannot be allowed to go unchallenged.

Here are the contact details for the school:
The Hundred of Hoo School
Main Road
Hoo St Werburgh
Rochester
Kent
ME3 9HH
office@hohschool.co.uk

*Update*
This is the email address of the teacher responsible margheritagramegna@yahoo.co.uk

H/T to PJH in the comments at Big Brother Watch

*Update 2*
I've sent an email to the school, condemning their actions, asking if only plants were used or if they targeted ramdom public and asking when then intend to repeat this stunt. I'll let you know if I get a reply.

*Update 3*

Contact details for Medway Police:
Email : enquiries@kent.pnn.police.uk

Telephone : 01634 891055
Write to : Medway Police Station
Purser Way
Gillingham
Kent ME7 1NE
Minicom : 01634 333111

H/T Dave Atherton. BBW Comments

*Update 4*

Margherita Gramegna, the muppet teacher who sanctioned all this, is an independent video-media artist, writer, director and producer with her own website: http://www.margheritagramegna.co.uk/
She is presently media artist-in-residence at Hundred of Hoo School and sits on the Medway International Exchange committee. (Whatever that is)